Mercy Congregations and Institutes respond to the long-awaited encyclical on ecology and the environment, "Laudato Si': On the Care of Our Common Home".

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

'Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have been eagerly awaiting the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and are pleased that in the document he has titled “Laudato Si” (“Be Praised” or “Praised Be”) he clearly connects concern for people who are poor with care for creation, which is central to us as Mercy. We believe this is one of the great moral issues of our time and for us a compelling and urgent call to respond...'

Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea

'The Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) has eagerly received Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the environment, ‘Laudato Si’ (‘Praised Be’). As an Encyclical we receive it as a document with a teaching purpose. Out of our own commitment to ‘extravagant hospitality, compassion and justice in the Earth community, being shattered by displacement,’ we welcome the emphasis in the Encyclical on the need to protect the Earth and dignify humanity...'

Religious Sisters of Mercy (Philippines)

'I am truly excited about this launching of Pope Francis' Encyclical on the Environment. The world needs this to wake all of us up from stupor in our carelessness and lack of concern for our mother earth. Please God, we respond in prayer and action to save mother earth. We need to move with great ardor and do our very best to influence everyone within our reach in whatever way we can. We pray for courage and fortitude, always opening ourselves to radical demands for change in life-style.'

M Carmela Cabactulan rsm - Religious Superior

The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy

'If we ever needed a mandate to work for ecological justice the recently published papal encyclical Laudato Si— on care for our common home—surely ranks very highly. The first of its kind—an encyclical on the environment—Pope Francis is partly breaking new ground and partly building on what has gone before him. There are many angles from which one can reflect on this rich communication, here I wish to look at one—that ecological justice and justice towards the poorest of humanity go hand in hand...'

Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand

'With joy, Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand received the encyclical Laudato Si (Praised Be): On the Care for Our Common Home.

At our 2014 Chapter, we committed ourselves to ‘Whakawhanaungatanga making right relationship with self, others, God and Earth. We are encouraged that throughout Laudato Si Pope Francis has a similar focus on right relationship when he states: ‘If the present ecological crisis is one small sign of the ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity, we cannot presume to heal our relationship with nature and the environment without healing all fundamental human relationships’ (119).

The Encyclical provides us with new perspectives on issues in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific. We shall be enabled in our efforts to work for change in our daily lives and to influence policy makers. We do this in the context of our responsibilities within Te Tiriti o Waitangi...'

Sisters of Mercy Parramatta Congregation

'The 2010 Chapter Statement from the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta, in which we re-affirmed our commitment to respond mercifully to our suffering earth, has found resonance in the latest Encyclical from Pope Francis...'

Sisters of Mercy Brisbane Congregation

' The world-wide interest, pre-publication, in the Encyclical Laudate Si was amazing, and the introductory passages of the actual encyclical are inspiring. However, the central messages of the encyclical stem from the grim situation today of our common home, the Earth, as grounded on the conclusions of the majority of contemporary scientists...'